My Heart Beats Like A Drum
by chochowilliams
Summary: 4th in the Building A Family series. Sequel to "Give In To Me". While Riku tries to convince Eiri that it is high time for him to pop the question to Shuichi, Shuichi has his own growing problems with not only a new neighbor, but also an unexpected pregnancy. M/M, M/F, Sexual Situations, Romance, Drama, Angst, slight-Fantasy, Infidelity, OOC-ness, Language, M-Preg, OCs.


**My Heart Beats like a Drum**

**One-shot**

**Sequel to:** "Give In To Me"

**Building A Family Series**

**Written by:** Chochowilliams

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Gravitation or the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

**Summary:** While Riku tries to convince Eiri that it is high time for him to pop the question to Shuichi, Shuichi has his own growing problems with not only a new neighbor, but also an unexpected pregnancy.

**Warning:** M/M, M/F, Sexual Situations, Romance, Drama, Angst, slight-Fantasy, Infidelity, OOC-ness, Language, M-Preg, OCs

**Pairings: **Shuichi/Eiri, Hiro/Ayaka, Hiro/Suguru, OMC/OFC

**Insert:** Scenes from "Give in To Me", "My Heart Beats like a Drum" by ATC, PLANET POP

**A/N:** This is the forth fic in the Building A Family series. In order they are: "Parental Revenge", "In the Closet", "Give In To Me", "My Heart Beats Like A Drum", _This I Promise You, Because of You_, "Limelight".

**oOo**

_I close my eyes_

_Close the door_

_I won't worry anymore_

_I've been waiting for you_

_Everyday and everynight_

_Cut the light_

_Let it fade_

_I don't wanna be afraid_

_I've been waiting for you_

_Tonight it is right_

_Stars shine bright_

_I just really wanna be with you_

_I celebrate pray for that day_

_When all my wishes will be coming true_

**-"My Heart Beats like a Drum" by ATC, PLANET POP**

**oOo**

**One Month Later – October**

Pregnant. He was pregnant. There was another life growing within him. A life the love of his life and he created together. Even though this was something he had been wishing and hoping and praying for for quite awhile now, he still could not wrap his mind around it. It was so unreal, as if at any moment, he would wake up to discover it was just another dream, just one among the others that has haunted his sleep for so long now. Even now, a month after he learned the shocking news, it still has not fully sunk in. He wondered if it ever would.

He had to admit, though, that he was surprised something like this had ever happened before now seeing as Eiri and he could not seem to keep their hands off each other.

He'd been so careful! Though, admittedly, nothing was fool proof, he knew that. Maiko was proof of that. His sister had gotten pregnant while on the pill and a friend he went to high school with even became pregnant four times while on the pill! Maybe if they had used condoms? No. Then Eiri would have asked all those questions. Because why would two people who were entirely devoted to each other running on a decade now and who were free from any kind STDs and who did not run the risk of becoming pregnant (that either party was aware of anyway) need to use condoms?

Dammit! What was he supposed to tell Eiri? How was he supposed to tell him? He never told Eiri that he was the bearer of the Shindou family secret. He had been too afraid to. Besides, how were you supposed to tell someone something like that?

"Oh and by the way, Yuki, I happen to be a Bearer."

Please! Given Eiri's and his history, the second something like that left his mouth he would be out on the streets so fast he would not have been able to tell the difference between his ass and a hole in the ground. When it came to Shuichi, Eiri seemed to have a higher than normal tolerance level, but Shuichi was positive that the news that he could give Eiri's father that heir he has been wanting (never mind that Mika and Tohma had produced a couple of their own) would not go over well with his blond haired lover.

But now he had a choice to make. He could either confess that-which-must-not-be-named and risk losing the love of his life or say nothing and keep Eiri in the dark about that one piece of himself. Neither sat well with Shuichi. His stomach churned violently.

Turning, Shuichi flattened the light pink under kimono around his slim, lithe figure. Biting his lip, he studied his profile in the mirror above the sink in the dressing room. Was it just him or was he beginning to show? He turned first one way and then the other. Every time Eiri, Riku or any of the others looked at him, he would fly into a dizzying panic. His heart started to pound. His mouth went dry. His palms started to sweat and his thoughts started chasing each other around inside his head like a hamster in its wheel. _"Why is he looking at me? Does he know? Oh God! How did he find out? Does it show somehow?"_

Curling his hands into fisted balls of frustration, Shuichi pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes and growled deeply from within his throat. Dammit! What was he supposed to do? The first hot tears stung his eyes.

"Mama?" called a voice behind him.

Startled, Shuichi spun around with a gasp. His hands dropped to his sides. Panicky violet eyes searched the confines of the dressing room. As soon as you entered what was technically referred to as the "dressing room" there was a storage closet on the far left hand wall. To your right was the sink with a double vanity. On the other side of a half wall sat the toilet. Across from the sink was the sliding beveled door that led into the bathroom where the bathtub was located.

He breathed a deep sigh of relief when he realized he was still alone in the bathroom. His son's voice was coming from the other side of the closed door. Thank God for small favors. "Y-yeah?" he called back over a frantically beating heart as he scrubbed his face clear of his tears. His other hand gripped the lip of the sink behind his back tightly. His knuckles turned white from the pressure.

"Are you almost done? I gotta pee."

"O-oh! Uhm, yeah, Riku. I'll be out in a minute," Shuichi called back.

"Okay."

Shuichi held his breath as he listened attentively to his son's footfalls as they faded down the hallway. Letting out his pent up breath, Shuichi turned back towards the mirror but found he could not bear to look himself in the eye so he turned away in shame. Leaning his back against the double vanity, Shuichi dropped his face in his hands. His shoulders shook as he sobbed quietly.

**oOo**

"It's about time," Eiri said as Shuichi finally emerged from the dressing room. "I was beginning to think you'd fallen in."

Shuichi forced his melancholy aside and plastered a lopsided grin onto his face. "Hey, it takes time to look this good."

Eiri snorted. "Baka. Don't take too long," he warned Riku as he rushed passed them, "we've gotta go."

"Yeah, yeah," Riku breathed with a roll of his eyes as he slammed the door shut behind him.

"If he had to go so bad, then why didn't he just use the bathroom downstairs?" Shuichi asked as he strolled down the hall to the master bedroom.

"Who the hell knows? This's your son we're talking about."

Shuichi pouted. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Just that."

"Huh?"

"Nothing," Eiri snickered.

"Whatever," Shuichi muttered as he crossed the room towards the closet.

**oOo**

Dressed in a black tailored vest over a white western cotton oxford button up shirt and a pair of loose fitting straight-legged jeans, Shuichi's signature eyes were hidden behind a pair of dark wraparound shades and his shoulder length jet black locks were held at the nape of his neck with a black hair tie.

As he followed Eiri and Riku to the elevator, Shuichi's attention came and went, which caused Eiri's voice to fade in and out as he spoke to his agent, Mizuki Kanna. They were meeting at a corner café not too far from the apartment.

Apparently, Eiri's latest script was way overdue, not that that was anything new. Eiri was such a procrastinator it was not even funny. Besides that, Shuichi knew that sometimes it took Eiri awhile to form the factual outline of a new story he was supposed to be writing into the actual story itself. The story was there, but for some reason he could not get it onto paper. Other times he was just not satisfied with what he managed to get onto paper and had to start from scratch. Shuichi could sympathize, but Mizuki could not. Eiri was even now trying to convince his agent she extended his deadline. It was not working. Mizuki was not as moronic as she looked.

"Good morning Shindou-san."

Startled out of his thoughts, Shuichi smiled and inclined his head in greeting at the elderly woman who lived next door to them ever since they moved in not long after they formally adopted Riku. "Hello Chosokabe-san."

Unaware that he was not with them any longer, Eiri and Riku continued down the hallway following Koji to the elevator.

Shuichi sensed rather than heard Jacob right behind him.

Chosokabe Kita was "downsizing". Going into her eighth decade of life, Kita claimed she was getting too old and could no longer keep up with the rigors of owning her own apartment. Besides, with the passing of her husband a few years back, she was just too lonely by herself in such a huge place. Her son had apparently offered his guest room to her, but instead, she decided to sell her apartment and move into a prestigious state-of-the-art retirement community that just opened up outside the city. In fact, Shuichi was the one to recommend the facility to her after his paternal grandparents-meaning his father's parents-moved into the same retirement community last year. They claimed it was the best decision they ever made. "Chosokabe-san, Riku could always do that for you when he gets out of school," he told the elderly woman who was in the middle of sweeping her foyer.

With a gentle smile, Kita shook her head. "No, that's alright. Thanks for the offer, but my son is stopping by in a little while to help with the last few boxes. So I want to tidy up the apartment and get over to the new place."

Shuichi nodded. "Well, good luck."

"Thank you, Shindou-san."

Inclining his head once more, Shuichi hurried down the hall to catch up with his family.

**oOo**

As they waited for the elevator to arrive at their floor, Shuichi tucked his arm through Eiri's. His free hand played with the strap of his messenger bag that was strapped across his chest. Eiri turned to smile down at him briefly before returning to his conversation with Mizuki. Shuichi stared down at the glossy surface of his black heeled boots.

Picking his head up, he gazed at his son over the tops of his sunglasses. Riku was listening to his Ipod at an obnoxiously high volume. Shuichi could hear every single word and he was standing a good five feet away at least. Riku's head was bopping up and down so fast, Shuichi could only think of those bobble headed dolls. It would not surprise Shuichi if his son's head snapped off one of these times. As he watched, Eiri finished his conversation with Mizuki and after tucking his sleek black Blackberry away; he reached out and swatted Riku upside the head, which caused the boy's head to snap forward.

"Ow! Dad," Riku whined, turning around and rubbing the back of his head.

"I don't want to have to tell you again," Eiri barked. "Turn it down or turn it off."

"But Dad-!"

"No buts Kitazawa Riku!"

Riku turned away with a "humph" and resumed listening to his music, but at a much more descent level. Shuichi had a feeling the second Riku was out of earshot of his parents, he would resume listening to his music at its original deafening level. The boy would be deaf by the time he was twenty at this rate. He also did not miss the fact that the boy had realigned himself so that Shuichi was basically standing between them, but then again what else was new?

Shuichi glanced up at Eiri cautiously. Biting the inside of his lip, he wondered if now was a good time.

The elevators pinged and seconds later the doors slid open. The group stepped on. Koji being the closets to the panel, he pressed the button for the lobby. The doors slid closed.

Shuichi dropped his head and once again studied his shoes. They contrasted sharply against the carpet. "Uhm, Eiri?" he spoke up tentatively.

"Hm?"

"Uhm…" Licking lips gone dry, Shuichi swallowed around a painful lump. "What do you think about, uhm…?"

"'Bout what?" Eiri pressed lightly without much thought. His mind had jumped ahead to his meeting with Mizuki. This latest novel of his was a far different cry from his other works. In fact, it was nothing like what they talked about originally. Unfortunately, with the original storyline, nothing came to mind. He had the basic summary of events, but when he went to express those facts into a tale, he hit a brick wall. It was like trying to write with a pen that held no ink. But as he listened to one of the songs that Bad Luck was remaking for their latest CD, this idea came from out of nowhere and the words suddenly sprung forth like a dam that burst. The only problem was that he had not been able to type fast enough.

His face flaming in embarrassment, Shuichi mumbled, "A baby."

Eiri was jerked out of his thoughts. He turned his head towards his lover of a decade. "What?"

Just then the elevator stopped. As the doors slid open, a ping was heard. The group stepped out into the brightly lit lobby after Koji and Jacob motioned to them that the coast was clear.

"Where'd that come from?"

Shuichi shrugged. His free hand ghosted over his belly that would not be flat for very much longer. He watched his feet as they took him through the lobby from the elevator bank to the front doors.

Riku eyed his parents out of the corner of his eyes.

"What? You want another kid?" Eiri teased as he held the door open for his lover. "I think two is my limit."

Shuichi felt a fissure crack his heart in two. His face fell. Eiri was joking. Shuichi knew that. He did it all the time. It meant nothing. But that did not stop the veil of tears from stinging his eyes. Or stop him from feeling as if his entire world had completely fallen apart at that moment. Freeing himself, Shuichi raced ahead of the others to the waiting car. Jacob was right behind him.

Eiri watched Shuichi vanish into the back of the SUV in confusion. He scratched his head. What just happened?

Riku turned his attention from his "mama" to his father and pondered just what the man did this time. "…Hey, Dad?"

"What?"

"…When are you going to ask Mama to marry you?"

Eiri groaned. Not this again. "Riku, drop it," he ordered as he rounded the car towards the drivers side.

"Why?"

"Because."

"Because why?"

"Riku," Eiri snapped as he slid behind the wheel besides Koji. He glanced briefly in the rearview mirror at Shuichi and frowned. Just what was up with him lately?

"What? It's a simple question."

"Enough Riku," he growled. He really was not in the mood for this today.

"C'mon, Dad."

"No!"

"Dad-"

"Once more, Riku," Eiri warned the boy.

Grinning, Riku chuckled softly as Eiri pulled out of the circular drive and into traffic.

**oOo**

**NG Productions**

With Jacob once again shadowing his every movement, Shuichi strode into the lobby of NG Productions towards the elevators. The receptionist greeted him warmly. Shuichi could barely manage a smile.

**oOo**

As Eiri drove through the rush of city traffic towards Riku's school, the author's thoughts wondered back to Shuichi. His younger lover had been under such a tremendous amount of stress lately because of this new CD he was being forced into putting out that it had started to affect Shuichi's everyday life. Shuichi had always been a bit of a crybaby, but the amount of time he spent bawling increased tenfold. And he was always throwing up. The singer even dreaded waking up in the morning. It had gotten to such a point that one night as they lay in bed together, Shuichi said, "Sometimes I wish I wouldn't wake up." That had been the final straw. Eiri sent Shuichi to the doctor's the next day.

When Eiri returned from his book tour a couple weeks ago, he asked Shuichi what the doctor said, but all Shuichi would say was, "Stress" and that the doctor prescribed a good long stress free vacation in Hawai'i. It was not that Eiri did not believe him. For Eiri had no doubt that stress was half the problem. If not the major factor. But he knew there was more to it then that. It was like being told the story of Goldilocks and the three bears. You are told that Goldilocks came upon a house in the wood and then left screaming some time later. You knew there was more to that story even if you had not heard it before. Maybe he should call up the baka's doctor and ask him himself.

His son's voice broke into his thoughts.

"Hey, Dad-?"

"No," Eiri said.

"Aw," Riku whined. "Why not?"

"Because I said so."

"But it's only four little words!"

"Riku! I said drop it."

Maybe he was making too much out of too little. Maybe after Bad Luck's new CD came out, he would take his baka to the Caribbean or something. Maybe a cruise around the world. Yeah, that sounded like a very good idea.

"Dad-"

"No."

"But-"

"I said no Riku."

"But you drove passed my school!"

Eiri cursed soundly and pulled an illegal u-turn in the middle of rush hour traffic.

Riku snickered as the G-forces plastered him against the door.

**oOo**

**NG Productions**

"Shindou-san, Seguchi-san will see you now."

Slowly, Shuichi lifted his head and stared at his boss's secretary who was smiling pleasantly at him. Her smile began to look strained and frayed around the edges as Shuichi continued to stare at her. Feeling as if he were being made to wade through waist high water with weights strapped around his ankles, Shuichi unfurled himself from the couch and made his way across the room to Tohma's office door.

"Aah! Shindou-san," Tohma greeted as the once pinked haired vocalist stepped into his office. The door swung shut behind him. "Good morning."

What was so good about it, Shuichi grumbled silently, but aloud he returned with as much false cheer as he could summon, "Hello, Seguchi-san!"

"Please, have a seat," Tohma smiled with a wave of his hand.

"Thanks." Lifting the strap of his messenger bag over his head, Shuichi set the bag down at his feet as he sat down in the chair Tohma had indicated. The chair was a simpler version of the plush leather recliner Tohma had. What little cushioning there was in the seat vanished under a person's weight so that what you were left with was the hard wood of the chair, which made for a very uncomfortable meeting with the boss. Exactly how Tohma preferred it.

"So, how are you, Shindou-san?" Tohma inquired as his laced his fingers together and leaned over his desk.

You mean other than being pregnant, Shuichi thought sardonically. How was he supposed to feel when not only was he being forced into taking part in a project he wanted nothing to do with, but had to find a way to tell Eiri that he had been lying to him for the passed ten years? Shuichi lifted a shoulder indifferently. "Pretty good. Getting by," he answered. Barely, he added silently.

Tohma nodded and sat back in his chair. The leather squeaked. "I understand that you are not one-hundred percent behind this latest Bad Luck project, but I commend you for agreeing to be a part of it anyway. Thank you."

Shuichi's nails scraped the arms of the chair as he clenched his hands into tight balls of fury, but he said nothing, just nodded. "No problem. The songs we're remaking are awesome songs." True. He did like a great deal of them, but just because he liked the songs that were going to be incorporated onto disk two of Bad Luck's new album did not mean that he was for the project. He was only part of it because he had no choice.

Shuichi scoffed silently. He had been effectively out voted. At the time, the thought briefly crossed his mind to just quit the band, but in the end, he tossed that idea aside as just being absurd. Bad Luck without Shuichi was like a vampire abstaining from blood or holding onto the deluded belief that he was still human. In the end, it would only end up in disaster. Choosing instead to grit his teeth and bear through this greatest hits compilation CD and then to wait and see what happens after that. Even if it meant walking out on Bad Luck forever if his demands were not met. It would kill a part of him to do so, but he just could not take it anymore.

"Good. Good. Did you by any chance happen to see this morning's paper?" Tohma asked him as he reached behind him towards the shelving unit.

Shuichi was thrown slightly by the sudden change in topic. "The paper? No," he shook his head. "We were running late this morning." That was thanks to Riku. Eiri said the boy took after him, but there were times when Shuichi begged to differ. Like this morning. Riku was definitely his father's son. Besides, neither he nor Eiri particularly cared for the news no matter what form it came in and that was mostly because there was always something about them in it. "Why?"

Tohma tossed him the magazine.

Catching it in mid-air, Shuichi threw his boss a questioning glance. Not the least bit surprised, Shuichi only sighed as he read the headlines. "'Discord Runs Rampant through Band,'" the headlines screamed. "'The End of Bad Luck?'" Shuichi would normally say that the leak within NG Productions struck again, but not this time. This time, he knew it was all their doing. Discord was right. At times, the six members of Bad Luck worked harmoniously. It was enough for one to forget that there was any dissonance among the ranks, but at other times, they were at each other's throats. During those times, none of them were very discreet. Not even when they were in public.

"I have already spoken with Ryota," Tohma was saying.

Nagao Ryota was Eiri's and his publicist.

"And we will be releasing a statement."

Shuichi nodded as he handed back the tabloid magazine. He did not know why Tohma even bothered anymore.

"So, Shindou-san," Tohma said as he returned to his seat behind his desk, "what can I do for you? I don't believe you stopped by just to say 'hi'." He laced his fingers together a top the desk and leaned forward with that plastic smile of his.

Shuichi sighed and sat back in the chair. He stared down at his hands lightly clasped in his lap. "I need your help," he admitted.

"Oh? You need my help?"

As much as it irked him to admit it. "Yes," Shuichi nodded.

"And what would you need my help with?"

Lifting his head, Shuichi looked over the desk and straight at his boss. "I want to ask Eiri to marry me," he with a straight face. It was something he had been thinking more and more about lately even before he discovered he was pregnant. Seeing as their ten-year anniversary was coming up, Shuichi figured it was as good a time as any. Besides, it would also leave Eiri nowhere to run when he dropped the bombshell that he was expecting their baby. Or so he hoped. There was still the good possibility that Eiri would drop him like a hot potato. Unfortunately, that was a risk he had to take. He loved Eiri too much to continue to lie to him.

Tohma raised an eyebrow. The corner of his lips twitched with a faint trace of a real smile. Oh, this was going to be good.

**oOo**

As Shuichi, with Jacob right behind him, slowly made his way down the hall from the elevator to the studio Bad Luck was scheduled to use, he trailed his left hand along the wall besides him while his other hand ghosted over his belly. A smile fluttered across his face.

"_Of course, Shindou-san,"_ Tohma had agreed eagerly. _"Let me make a few phone calls and I will get back to you."_

He had a son he adopted with Eiri, he was pregnant with Eiri's child and in a matter of a few short weeks, he was going to be engaged to Eiri, the man he has been in love with since he was eighteen years old….hopefully…if Eiri did not drop kick his sorry ass to the curb. If he were not dreading going through the door that stood not more than ten feet from where he was standing, Shuichi would swear that his life was perfect.

Even if by chance, Eiri did leave him, Shuichi would still gladly welcome this child. It was a miracle. A gift. He hated to admit it, but if it came down to it, if he had to chose between this baby growing and developing within him and Eiri, he knew without a doubt who would come out the winner.

Pushing away from the wall, Shuichi strode across the hall and grabbed the doorknob. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes momentarily as he tried to psyche himself up.

And then opening his eyes, he turned the knob and pushed the door to the studio open. He stepped into the studio with his stomach doing summersaults.

"Hey! Shuichi," cried the greeting.

"Hey, guys," Shuichi returned the greeting with that false cheer once again as he shut the door behind him.

**oOo**

**Later That Night**

"Check this out," Mark called out a short time later.

Joanna, who had been studying the grave of Lorelei Johnson, gazed over her shoulder at Mark who was standing over a newer looking tombstone in a shape that vaguely resembled that of a heart.

"These are the oldest graves in the cemetery," he explained as Joanna crossed to his side.

Confused how the oldest graves in the cemetery could have such new looking tombstones, Joanna read the inscriptions engraved upon its rusty colored surface. "'Percy Johnson 1688-1745. Jeannette Heinrich nee Johnson nee Milton 1705-1801'."

"Wonder why they replaced the original tombstones?" Mark mumbled aloud.

"Maybe they were damaged or too weathered to read?"

Mark shrugged. "Maybe."

Joanna turned back to study the tombstone. "Tell me something," she said as she did some quick calculations in her head.

"What?"

"What is it with this family and older men marrying younger women?"

"Mileage?" Mark suggested cheekily. **(1)**

**o**

With a sigh, Eiri decided he'd had enough for the day. Saving his work, he shut down the computer, then flicked off the desk lamp as he maneuvered out of the office and into the living room where he immediately spied his son sitting sideways in the armchair watching television. "Go do your homework," he ordered as he crossed towards the couch.

As predicted, Riku whined. He swung his legs off the arms of the armchair. "Aw! Why?"

"Because you know better. No TV, no phone, no net 'til your homework is done."

"C'mon, Dad! It's the weekend! Can't I do it tomorrow?"

"No."

"Man! No fair," Riku grumbled as he pushed to his feet.

"Hey, life's not fair," Eiri said as he plopped down on the couch. He swiped the remote from the coffee table and switched the station from The Music Channel where some rock band wearing Michael Meyers-like masks were playing in a burning field. Instead, he turned to Book TV and then quickly switched it to the twenty-four hour news station. That bitch that tried to write a biography about him was on speaking about her latest book.

"This sucks," Riku continued to grumble as he made his way up the stairs to his bedroom.

"Speaking of which," Eiri said as the newscaster spoke about the growing unease between Iran and Israel. He flicked the channel to Tru TV where Forensic Files was just coming on. "Where's your mother?"

"Grandma's."

"Huh." He did not remember Shuichi saying anything about going to visit his mother. He wondered what was going on?

**oOo**

**Shindou Household**

From his seat on the barstool at the kitchen island at his parent's house, Shuichi stared blankly down in the steaming mug of hot chocolate.

"Shuichi," his mother said as she sat down besides him with a plate of chocolate chip cookies fresh from the oven. "You've been with Yuki-kun how long now?"

"Ten years next month," Shuichi answered automatically. He reached for a cookie and bite into it. Instantly, he was in heaven.

Shindou-san nodded. "Why haven't you told him about this?"

Shuichi shrugged. One, his mouth was full. Two, he really had no answer for her.

His mother sighed as she too picked up a cookie and bit into it. "I don't know what to tell you, Shuichi," she said. "It's up to you whether to tell him or not."

That was not what he had been expecting to hear. Disappointed, he slumped over the counter with a tired sigh.

"But I think it's best to be honest, honey."

With tears in his eyes, Shuichi picked himself up. "But, Mom, what if…?"

With a soft smile, Shindou-san reached out and ran a gentle hand through her son's hair. "If he dumps you then he really wasn't the one, was he?"

Shuichi buried his face in his hands with a cry. Now he was even more confused than ever. He wanted to tell Eiri. He wanted to open and honest with Eiri he really did, but he was so afraid. He couldn't lose Eiri. He couldn't. He knew he had decided that if it came down to it, this child within him would take precedence, but still, Eiri was his everything. Why did these things always happen to him?

**oOo**

**Uesugi-Shindou Household**

"Hey Dad?" Riku called over the railing as he walked out of his room half an hour later. "Woh," he cried softly as the railing gave slightly under his grip.

"What?"

A sly smirk crossed his face. "When are you going to ask Mama to marry you?"

Something within Eiri snapped. "Never if you don't shut your face and go do your homework and leave me the fuck the alone!"

Riku's smile broadened.

Realizing what he just said, Eiri cursed. As he heard his son's cries of jubilation, he cursed again. What the hell has he just gotten himself into? Damn manipulative brat, Eiri cursed. He reminded Eiri of someone else.

**oOo**

**Uesugi-Shindou Household - An Hour Later**

"Hey Shuichi."

Shuichi looked up at the familiar voice. He smiled and inclined his head slightly in greeting. "Hey, Grant," he returned as he stepped into the lobby.

Grant Christian used to be a sergeant with the United States Air Force based out of the US Airbase here in Japan. He ended up falling in love with one of the local girls who worked at the base and after his tour of duty was over, requested and received an honorable discharge and after marrying the girl, moved back here to Japan. Grant claimed it was the best decision he ever made.

"Hey, you know someone moved into Chosokabe-san's apartment already?"

Shuichi blinked at that. "What?"

"Yeah. I'm heading out to pick up some stuff for dinner and just happened to notice this guy moving boxes in."

"Wow. That was fast."

"No kidding. Hope he doesn't turn out to be an asshole like that last guy."

Shuichi snorted. "Really."

"That last guy" was Sadohara Hajime. Besides his and Eiri's, there were three other apartments on their floor. One belonged to Grant and his wife. The second belonged to (or used to belong to) Chosokabe Kita and Morisaki Uiko resided in the third with her husband. On the floor above theirs, there were only two. Sadohara Hajime used to reside within the one right above his and Eiri place.

Hajime was the least neighborly person on the face of the planet. He acted like a three year old with a temper tantrum: always fighting with his girlfriend, always pounding (at times literally it seemed) his feet when he walked. Not to mention, the guy smoked like a chimney. The stairwell always smelled like an ashtray; it was such a nauseating smell. Whenever someone complained to the landlord, Hajime became an even greater annoyance: pounding even harder, yelling and screaming louder. Eiri in turn would always go and call the landlord right back up and complain. The landlord would call Hajime and Hajime's childish, immature antics would escalate again. It was a never-ending cycle. Shuichi just told Eiri to ignore the guy, but Eiri flat out refused.

"_We pay too much for this dump to put up with assholes like him,"_ is what Eiri would say.

Finally, the landlord had had enough and ended up evicting Hajime after only a few months.

"_It wasn't just you who complained,"_ the landlord said.

Seeing as Hajime's apartment was a single story instead of two like theirs, his place encompassed Eiri and his and the Christians' apartment so Grant and his wife also bitched about the guy.

At one point, Eiri threatened the landlord with, _"It's either him or us."_ In the end, Hajime was given the boot and everything has been quite since.

"Well, have a nice night, Shuichi," Grant said as he exited the building.

"You, too," Shuichi returned. With Jacob behind him, Shuichi headed straight to the elevator and Eiri.

**oOo**

The elevator slowed as it came to his floor. Shuichi pushed away from the back wall as he heard the familiar ping. The doors slid open and he stepped out when Jacob indicated it was alright to proceed. He started down the hall towards the apartment he shared with Eiri and their son when the door to what used to be Chosokabe Kita-san's apartment just this morning opened and out stepped a man who had to be at least Hiro's height.

Jacob came to a sudden halt before him and held out an arm, which forced Shuichi to stop.

"Aah! Hello! You must be, Shindou-san," the man greeted with a wide toothy grin when he spotted Shuichi.

Shuichi forced himself to smile at the man. "Hello," he returned with a small voice. He felt his smile waver. The man had a pale complexion, but not like Eiri's. It was more of a sickly paleness. Almost as if the man could keel over at any moment. The narrow eyes the color of mud seemed to bore deeply into Shuichi's. An abnormally large nose took up most of his long face. Shuichi found himself taking several steps backwards away from the guy.

"I'm Rinjin Yasashii," the man introduced. He stepped forward. "I'm your new neighbor. Nice to meet you."

Shuichi stared at that hand with those white skeletal digits Yasashii was holding out to him. A wave of fear washed over him. He could not explain it, but he did not like this guy, not one bit. There was something about him. But thinking he was being ridiculous, for he did not even know the man, Shuichi tentatively stepped forward and shook the man's proffered hand. Yasashii's clammy, wraith-like fingers closed around his and Shuichi fought against the impulse to pull his hand back and race into his apartment to sterilize it. Instead, he remained where he was with a forced smile on his face. "N-nice to meet you too-Rinjin-san."

…**To Be Continued…**

**(1)** Taken from my original short story "The Johnson Affair".

**Next:** _This I Promise You_


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